After rewatching True Blood season two, we've got some advice for season three from Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself. Oh, and Supernatural, too.

Here’s a little fun tip if you’re a writer of a supernatural show (like, oh, I don’t know, Supernatural): if you look at your season long story arc, and think, “Hey, Buffy could have solved that problem in under forty-five minutes,” your story is going on WAY too long.

Let’s get even more specific, friends! Over the weekend, I hardcored the second season of True Blood, HBO’s hit sex-pire show, in preparation for the third season premiere this upcoming Sunday. And while the humor and creativity of the show certainly expanded in the second season, the season long story arc nearly had me crawling up the walls. Spoilers for season two past this point, by the way.

So sure, this was True Blood trying its hand at an apocalyptic, Bon Temps is almost destroyed story, expanding out from the simple vampire hate murders of the second season. In case you don’t know – or don’t remember – a Maenad, which is a handmaiden of Dionysus, came to town, and basically manipulated everyone into f**king and k**ling each other. Probably didn’t need to bleep out that second word, in retrospect.

Anyway, the entire time, I was watching this, and about three episodes in, I started thinking, “Man, if Buffy was here, she would have staked that lady in three seconds.” In fact, the entire season long arc wasn’t that far off from what would happen in an episode of Buffy. Here, I’ll recast the whole season for you, and you tell me if it works:
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Mehcad Brooks hit the LA premiere of the sci-fi thriller 'Splice' and before taking in the screening, we chatted about 'True Blood' Season 3 and his directorial debut, 'The Wolf.'
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the LA Premiere of Warner Bros Pictures' Splice.

I'm going to miss you on this season of True Blood. Mehcad Brooks: "I'm going to miss you watching me on this season of True Blood."Are you going to be in any flashbacks?
Mehcad Brooks: "Yes, yes. The first episode at the very least."Are you? Is not just going to be your death scene? We're going to get to see something new?
Mehcad Brooks: "I don't know, actually. I don't know. We shot somethings, not everything aired, so we'll see."Interesting. Are you going to miss being on that set?
Mehcad Brooks: "You know, you always miss a job when it's gone. But I got a new one on ABC called My Generation, and I'm looking forward to doing that. They're shooting in my hometown which is amazing.

Louisiana accent. Brooklyn accent.
Yes, they are very different. But in subtle ways, they are too much the same.
Brooklyn native Deborah Ann Woll, who plays budding teen vampire Jessica in True Blood, had to walk that fine line when she first took the role.
“In the very beginning the Southern accent was a challenge, because some of the sounds are kind of close to that Yankee, Brooklyn sound,” said Woll, 25. “So my problem was, when I would fall out of the Southern accent, I would fall into a Brooklyn accent, which sounds really, really wrong for the part.
“But that was in the first season. I felt much better by the second season.”
The third season of the savage and sexy True Blood gets under way Sunday, June 13 on HBO Canada. Woll still is pinching herself over the fact that her character has become a major part of this acclaimed series.
“I just auditioned — it was before any of the episodes had aired, but I imagine they were filming some of the ninth episode (in the first season) at the time,” Woll said. “It was just a guest spot, so we come in right before we’re needed. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

It's time to get all kinds of familiar with True Blood's Joe Manganiello—of course, you One Tree Hill, How I Met Your Mother fans need not apply.
We just caught up with HBO's resident werewolf doing—what else?—working on his supernaturally fit bod, and in the midst of staring at all that eye candy, got the goods on Bon Temps' newest badass, Alcide...
Just so we're all on the same page, Joe's character Alcide pops up in the third episode of season three under strict orders of equally droolworthy Eric (Alexander Skarsgård), and so begins the story of True Blood's very own werewolf.

Alan Ball is in the dungeon underneath Fangtasia, the vampire-owned strip club on HBO’s True Blood, and it’s as cold and creepy as it looks on TV. It’s the place where the bad vampires chain and shackle humans they can torture, then exsanguinate; in one scene last year, a townie named Royce was ripped to shreds, literally. Ball is unsuccessfully trying to turn on the lights, but instead feels his way to a corner to study a mysterious piece of machinery—what looks like an antique boiler. “I’ve never seen this here before,” says Ball excitedly. “It’s gnarly. I’ve got to figure out how to use it.”

Whatever he decides to do, it won’t end well. Few auteurs are as comfortable with death and darkness as Ball, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for American Beauty; whose first series for HBO, Six Feet Under, was about a family of morticians; and whose current show fetishizes the undead. “After Six Feet Under ended, I wanted a change,” he says, “and True Blood seemed so fun and bright.”

1. Merlotte’s is the show’s main gathering place, where True Blood’s Sookie works as a waitress. The set is based on countless southern dive bars, right down to the Dogfish Head ale on tap. 2. There’s a fully functioning kitchen behind the bar. “We built this set so that we could follow the actors around on a Steadicam.”3. Among the snapshots near the cash register is a photo of Ball with Charlaine Harris; the show is based on her Sookie Stackhouse vampire novels.

Perhaps he means bright as in quick-witted. True Blood, which begins its third season June 13, is set mostly at night; the action, design, and even the acting are steeped in an unrelenting (albeit often mordantly comic) murk. Most sets are located in West Hollywood; the exteriors are shot in Mississippi and Louisiana, where the show takes place, in the fictional town of Bon Temps.

Thank you Grace! You asked for a True Blood manicure and here is my attempt at one! I love the Sookie Stackhouse series. I love the Aurora Teagarden Series. I love the Lily Bard series. I love Charlaine Harris. Her books are so much fun to read. In fact, I've already had to have my nook e-reader replaced.. I wore the forward button out! I guess I read a lot.

The red is OPI Double Decker Red (thanks A.L!) The black is Maybelline Colorama Black Magic. The silver is Essie Opera. I thought it was funny to make this vamp a bit sparkly. Trust me. The Sookie Stackhouse vampires don't sparkle!

This is the art from the True Blood HBO series. It is also the cover art on some of the Sookie Stackhouse books. The new season of True Blood starts at 9:00 June 13 on HBO.

The tenth book in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries (aka Sookie Stackhouse), Dead in the Family brings a lot of change to the inhabitants of Bon Temps. While it was definitely different from previous novels, I have to say I truly enjoyed it.

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry…

Dead in the Family totally kept my attention all day. There wasn’t a huge plot or conflict that Sookie was knee deep in, but there was enough going on that it wasn’t boring. Honestly, Dead in the Family really reminds me of Buffy’s fourth season finale – the one where Buffy gets caught up in a dream with the “first”. Sookie has had so much going on in her life that she needed this downtime, something easy and eye opening. A lot of threads were tied up, and yet, there were plenty more that began. In my opinion, the Fae have been dealt with. I can’t see them coming back. We’re definitely going to see more vampires in the future, but instead of Eric going along with his queen’s wishes, I think we’re going to see his rebellious side come out. Plus, with the weres recent “coming out”, legislation is going to occur and we really didn’t see much of it for the vampires. Dead in the Family opens a lot of possibilities of what we’ll be seeing and I kind of like it.
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It's clear from HBO's recent poster showing Bill Compton during his Civil War days with the tagline, "Life Goes On," that we'll be exploring more of Bill's past in "True Blood's" third season.

"There's a couple of great flashbacks this year," Stephen Moyer, who plays Bill, tells Zap2it. "I love the flashbacks because what's interesting is that you as an actor playing these characters don't get a chance to really understand who your character is, because the writers are able to invent things from your past that you didn't know about. So, it just keeps adding color to your characterization as you go."

Warning: Semi-spoilerish

Some of the most achingly gorgeous (and telling) scenes of the series occur in flashback. Moyer gave us a couple hints of what we'll be exploring in Bill's past.

"We will see one of the reasons why Bill is so tortured," he explains. "There will be something that explains how his relationship with Lorena evolved. There is some beautiful stuff in there."

The final bunch of great entries from our "Name the next Sookie book" contest!

Dead and In Love
Dead Center
Dead but not Gone
Dead and Angry
It's okay to be Dead
Forever Dead
Upheaval Among the Dead
Dead Hostilities
Dead Revelations
Catching Up With the Dead
Dead Ringer
Dead Truth
Dead Letters
Dead & Buried
Dead Uprising
Left for Dead
Dead in the Tracks
Dead to Rights
Dead Wrong.
Forever Dead
Dead and Famous
Dead to Me
Dead and Dying
Till Dead Do Us Part
Better off Dead